Chapter 68

Just as Gordon and Reina were discussing their next move, a voice echoed from the distant, pitch-black passage.

"Mr. Gordon, if you hope to escape the castle safely after the ritual, you will be disappointed."

"Who's there!" Reina, alert, immediately drew Dawnbreaker. The sword of Lady Dawn emitted a brilliant white light, illuminating the passage.

A woman dressed in a light veil, barely covering her bosom and hips, walked over. Her gait was full of grace and rhythm, like an elegant Persian cat, which seemed out of place in the dark and terrifying underground environment.

Gordon looked at the woman's alluring face and asked, puzzled, "Madam, may I ask who you are?"

"We met at the Amber Mask, remember? But at the time, I was wearing a mask." The woman nodded to Gordon and then looked at Dorn, "Young Master Lannister, thank you for taking care of so much business at my small shop."

"Are you Lady Daina?" Dorn said.

Only then did Gordon recall that he had indeed met Lady Daina, the owner of the most luxurious pleasure house in Azurewater City, when he and Dorn had visited the Amber Mask. However, she was indeed a skilled madam, as she could remember even a little-known mage like himself after just one meeting.

"I am glad you remember me, Mr. Mage."

Gordon glanced at Lady Daina's voluptuous and mature body and asked, "Are you also a follower of Lylia?"

"To be precise, I am the supervisor of the Lylia Temple's Azurewater City district," Lady Daina said, "But unfortunately, our temple has been occupied by the Trinity Baptists, and all the Lylia priests have been forced to serve those despicable people."

"We know about the church and the goddess," Gordon told Lady Daina, "You mentioned that I would be disappointed if I hoped to escape the castle after the ritual. What do you mean by that?"

A hint of hatred flashed in Lady Daina's beautiful eyes: "That madwoman, Amavre! She has no intention of returning this castle to the Material Plane. After the ritual, they will use the power of the Sin Pearl to open a planar portal and leave, trapping us all here to die!"

Dorn gasped, "You can't be serious. Including the Lylia followers and the men and women lured into the ritual, there are over five hundred people. This is a massacre!"

"Isn't it normal for cultists and demon worshippers to do such things?" Gordon was not surprised. However, this meant his original plan was doomed. Now, he had to consider how to stop the ritual to avoid the grim fate of being trapped in a demiplane.

He noticed that Lady Daina's fair and tender skin was stained with blood and had several wounds, indicating she had been through intense battles.

"Lady Daina, I assume you faced many difficulties to find us and have a plan to stop the ritual?"

"I admire your insight," Lady Daina smiled and nodded, looking at Reina, "Miss Paladin, I do have a way to stop the ritual, which can save you and the poor men and women in the hall above. However, I have one condition."

"What condition?" Compared to the charming Lady Daina, Reina's expression was as cold as ice.

"I hope that after this incident, the blame and punishment will not fall on the Lylia Church. We are also victims. Additionally, I need to meet with Bishop Bager."

Bishop Bager was the head of the Dawn Church in the Far Frost Province, a 15th-level priest.

Lady Daina's intentions were easy to understand. Although the Lylia followers were coerced into submitting to the Trinity Baptists due to the goddess's capture, they were still considered evil accomplices.

If the Dawn Church handled the matter alone, it wouldn't be a big issue. Lady Meridia's alignment is neutral good, and she is relatively lenient, forgiving occasional or unavoidable mistakes as long as they don't cause severe consequences.

However, Azurewater City was not solely governed by the Dawn Church. The Law God Elassus, a neutral law alignment, has a temple with law enforcement powers. His followers, many of whom are judges and enforcers, have a zero-tolerance policy for evil collusion and crime, whether by principal or accomplice, advocating for the harshest punishments.

Therefore, Lady Daina needed the Dawn Church to mediate and clear her and the Lylia Church of blame—provided she could help Gordon and his companions stop the Trinity Baptists' ritual.

"If you can provide genuine assistance, I will do my best to secure leniency for the Lylia Church," the female paladin said.

Lady Daina's expression lightened, "Your word is enough. I know you are Lady Meridia's favorite and the most prominent paladin in the Dawn Church. Even Bishop Bager must carefully consider your opinion."

With Reina's assurance, Lady Daina retrieved a small, diamond-shaped metal plate from her cleavage.

"The core device the Trinity Baptists use to absorb the ritual's energy is a demon altar made from a depleted mana pool. Although the mana pool is depleted, it still retains a significant amount of active source energy. If this metal plate is placed in the mana pool, it will disrupt the entire energy absorption system. The magic field shielding the castle will then dissipate, allowing us to return to the Material Plane."

Gordon glanced at the metal plate in Lady Daina's hand and was shocked, "This is a Balance Dragon scale!"

Balance Dragons are rare dragons that reside in the Outer Planes, more powerful than ordinary dragons in the Material Plane. They are completely neutral, tasked with maintaining the balance of the dragon realm.

Balance Dragon scales are thick and light black, emitting a dull blue glow. The most significant feature of these scales is their energy balancing property.

The demon altar that helps the Sin Pearl gather ritual energy is infused with evil magic. If a Balance Dragon scale is placed in the mana pool, it will immediately interfere with the altar's energy flow, converting it to neutral energy.

The magic system designed by the Trinity Baptists for the Sin Pearl is complex and precise, allowing no room for error. With the interference from the Balance Dragon scale, the ritual will inevitably fail.

"I never thought you would have such a thing. Balance Dragon scales are precious items that even legendary beings find hard to obtain," Dorn marveled. Even this well-informed second-generation mage was stunned.

"I obtained it by chance," Lady Daina said.

Although she was vague, Gordon had a feeling that the Balance Dragon scale was actually a gift from the goddess Lylia to her followers. Despite the goddess's limited power and capture by several evil deities and demon lords, she was still a deity and had various means. She would seize every opportunity to resist, even if she appeared to submit.

It seems the struggles among the upper echelons are intense.

With the key item to disrupt the demon altar, the next step was to consider how to place it in the mana pool.

"I must say, your performance has been outstanding. The Trinity Baptists' ritual is led by a woman named Amavre. You have already killed her most capable subordinate, the Black Knight Moke. The second-in-command, a mysterious guard knight whose appearance I have never seen, was also injured by Miss Reina, and all the animated armors were destroyed. The enemy's strength has been significantly reduced, increasing our chances of success."

Her words reassured Gordon.

However, Lady Daina continued, "Amavre is a high-ranking member of the Trinity Baptists, extremely powerful, and can cast 6th-level divine spells as a 11th-level Blessed One. To protect the demon altar, she has ample defensive forces. Most importantly, the evil altar is located in the lowest level, where the enemy has set up an alignment protection array. Any non-evil creature entering will have their power greatly suppressed."

Lady Daina, while outwardly compliant with the Trinity Baptists, was secretly preparing to sabotage the ritual. She had thoroughly investigated the defenses in the lowest level of the castle. After the ritual began, she seized an opportunity to escape the Trinity Baptists' control. She engaged in several battles with Amavre's search parties, sustaining injuries, but eventually managed to break free and meet Gordon and his companions.

Now, whether to save her life and status or to avenge the goddess, she was determined to do her utmost.

After discussing the battle plan, the group decided to send someone to secretly infiltrate the eighth underground level, where the demon altar was located, to destroy the alignment protection array. Then, the main force would attack through the main passage, eliminating Amavre and the other Trinity Baptists' minions.

"I have gathered ten high-ranking followers who received the goddess's secret divine command. They are all priests and are waiting for orders in the armory on the fifth level," Lady Daina said.

Gordon held a High Sol Stone Travel Scroll and looked at the female paladin, "The infiltration mission will be handled by me and Miss Reina."

This High Sol Stone Travel Scroll was provided by Dorn. Their plan was to use the scroll to bypass the Trinity Baptists' guards and enter the lower hall. Only Dorn and Gordon could read the scroll.

Dorn, after continuous battles, had nearly exhausted his spell slots and could only rely on magical items. Therefore, Gordon, who was in nearly perfect condition, naturally took on the mission.